Numerical averaging in mice.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive neuroscience
• Animal behavior
• Numerical cognition

Background:

• Rodents exhibit duration averaging when stimuli are paired with different time intervals.
• Previous research suggests associative learning in rodents based on temporal cues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if mice can average independently trained numerosities (quantities).
• To determine the cognitive strategy (counting vs. timing) mice employ when presented with conflicting numerical information.

Main Methods:

• Mice were trained on fixed-ratio schedules (10 or 20 lever presses) signaled by distinct auditory or visual stimuli.
• Subsequent training involved Fixed Consecutive Number (FCN) trials requiring a minimum number of presses.
• Compound stimulus trials were introduced, presenting conflicting numerical information to assess response behavior.

Main Results:

• Mice's responses in compound trials approximated the average of the trained FCN-10 and FCN-20 trials.
• This averaging behavior was more pronounced when auditory cues signaled fewer required responses.
• The majority of mice exhibited counting strategies rather than timing strategies in response to conflicting numerical cues.

Conclusions:

• Mice are capable of averaging numerical quantities, similar to their ability to average durations.
• Numerical averaging in mice can be explained by arithmetic, geometric, and Bayesian models.
• The findings support the hypothesis that mice utilize counting mechanisms for numerical tasks involving conflicting information.